Dinner with the Fields
by OneWanderingMind
Summary: An innocent dinner initiated by Mrs. Fields promises to be anything less than interesting. My version of the 5x07 dinner. Emison at heart. Rated T for language and suggestive material.
1. Awkward Much?

**This is my take on the dinner coming up in 5x07, "The Silence of E. Lamb". It's dripping with Emison wishful thinking, but that's what fanfiction is for! I've split it into two parts.**

**I hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

Warmth shot through Emily's body at the sight of Alison trotting toward her house. As the blonde stepped into the light streaming from the porch lights, Emily's coy smile stretched across her face and pulled her lips taunt. The armor she meticulously strapped on a few minutes ago to repel any of Alison's charms melted into a heap of wax at her feet. _Just for tonight._ _Just for tonight._ She repeated to herself. She could allow herself this bliss for a few hours.

Alison sported a smile to match her friend's and breathed slowly in and out to cope with the butterflies writhing in her stomach, snaking up through her lungs and tickling at her throat. She fiddled unconsciously with the edge of her dress as she approached. A twinge of regret floated through her brain as she second guessed her choice of clothing. She dipped her head down and shook off the thought. Since when did she second guess anything? When she looked back up, she smirked as she basked in the long, unhurried strokes Emily's eyes raked up and down her body. That's all the reassurance she needed.

Although previously foreign to her, Alison was becoming more accustomed to Emily's more sexual expressions of her fondness. Years ago, the attention the brunette showered upon her was dripping with a naivety that fell prey to Alison's manipulative tendencies. At that time unwilling to entertain even the thought of returning Emily's feelings, she still couldn't help but relax in her presence. She shared thoughts, wishes and secrets with the brunette that she'd never dare utter to the other girls. Occasionally, her crush-like attraction peeked through, but she quickly shut it down with malicious remarks or by strategically digging her claws further into Emily's soft heart. Alison was not a good person back then and she knew it. With each passing day, she struggled to convince herself that she wasn't that person anymore. Emily's face gave her hope and she could live on that hope for this moment.

Emily didn't even scold herself as she trained her eyes on the briefly exposed skin of Ali's thighs as she ascended the steps toward her. She bit a small part of her bottom lip as her friend's dress slid up by mere inches with every step. Her annoyance with Alison's lie about the Mona confrontation had cast aside her far from chaste thoughts, which had caught fire the night they shared a few intimate moments and soft kisses. Although her hands hadn't wandered beneath her clothes, the image of Alison's completely exposed body from that day in the locker room constantly rolled through her brain on a loop. Inadvertently, she had once again forgiven Alison and succumbed to the girl's seductive nature. It could be a trap, just like all the times before. Taking a deep breath, she again reminded herself- _just for tonight_.

"Hey, Em."

_Shit._ The voice trampled the brunette's resolve. She wanted to feel like this every day. _No! Just for _**_fucking_**_ tonight. _After crossing her fingers mentally as if lying to herself, she reached out to embrace her friend. Instead of accepting the welcoming gesture, Alison snagged both of her hands, squeezed them softly and lowered their entwined fingers between them. She leaned in to plant a light kiss on Emily's cheek, but she conveniently missed and her lips grazed the side of the brunette's mouth. Emily thought to herself that the blonde must have picked up on her carnal cravings because Alison quickly pulled back and said, "Now I'll take a hug. _Just_ a hug." The girl clarified with an adorable smile that Emily loved.

As Alison reluctantly released Emily's hands and pulled her close, Spencer called out from behind her, "Should we take bets on how long it takes for this dinner to get seriously awkward?"

The blonde turned out of Emily's arms and responded, "Spence, don't doom this before it even starts."

"My mom might surprise us," Emily offered. "I think she's exhausted from questioning me. I doubt she sees any point in broaching the subject with all of us here." She spotted Aria walking into earshot and greeted her, "Hey, Aria."

Returning the "hey" with a head nod and smile, the girl echoed Spencer's worry, "Guys, how weird is this going to get?"

Spencer nodded at her with a smirk and said, "Great minds."

"C'mon," Alison once again spoke up, "it's not going to be _that_ bad."

One of Emily's eyebrows shot up as she playfully challenged, "_That_ bad? Speaking of dooming it."

"Not what I meant," Ali threw softly over her shoulder.

"I'm surprised you're not the one freaking out," Aria addressed the seemingly confident blonde. "You could be the one on trial."

"Ugh," Hanna groaned as she approached. "I cannot sit through another 'quiz Ali' session. It's getting really old."

Ignoring the blonde's unwarranted annoyance, Spencer agreed in a more upbeat tone, "I think we've all been subjected to more questions than most people deal with in a lifetime."

"That's what happens when your friend gets _kidnapped_," Hanna air-quoted the last word.

"And what happens when you try to help that same friend run away?" Emily snipped before adding sarcastically. "I'm thinking more questions." None of the other girls knew about their spat the night Ali was attacked, but the animosity was reaching a boiling point.

Alison glanced between Hanna and Emily and noted with a hint of confusion, "No need to get so uppity. I'm still here."

When Alison's gaze settled on the brunette's hardened features, Emily quickly relaxed her face and replied, "We're all just a bit nervous."

Alison's raised eyebrow indicated that she was far from convinced, but she diverted the group's attention from the rising tension between Emily and Hanna. She said, "Well, I'm never one to turn down Mrs. Fields's cooking. I don't care how awkward it gets."

"I'm glad to hear that," Mrs. Fields commented from the doorway.

"Wow. That didn't take long," Spencer muttered calling attention to her and Aria's prediction.

Noticing the collective embarrassment amongst the girls, Mrs. Fields calmed their nerves and assured them, "I'm not going to fire off twenty questions." She flashed an understanding smile toward Alison and said, "But, Alison, you can talk to me if you ever need to."

Graciously, the blonde thanked the woman and the group shuffled quietly into the house. All of the girls tried to relax as they inwardly agreed with Alison: they did love Mrs. Fields's cooking. Unfortunately, even that admission couldn't quiet their fears. Flashing lights of "Possible Parental Trouble" blinded them as they sat down to "enjoy" their meal.

* * *

As she took a bite of her pasta, Emily sighed with relief. Each moment of benign dinner conversation that passed by meant one less minute of unpleasant questioning. The random dinner party had taken Emily and the rest of her friends off guard. None of them knew what to expect, but each of them expected the worst. Although they all loved Mrs. Fields, they were keenly aware of her inquisitive nature. None of girls felt like dodging questions about anything that had to do with Alison.

Out of nowhere, Mrs. Fields mentioned to Emily, "I almost forgot to tell you. Paige came over a couple of hours ago."

All five girls tensed up at the mention of Paige. While Emily fumbled around in her head for a response to shut the topic down, Aria and Spencer shoved rather large bites of spaghetti into their mouths. Hanna, however, put down her fork and shifted her gaze from Emily to Alison. She couldn't suppress a small smirk that formed at the corner of her lips when Alison cleared her throat and lifted her water glass to her lips. Part of the blonde hated how much she enjoyed seeing the other girl squirm, but her opinion of Alison was at an all time low. She shrugged to herself as she brushed aside any guilt. _A little weirdness won't kill her. _

"Oh?" Emily finally spoke up with a one word question that swung the door wide open to her mother's impending inquisition. So much for dismissing Paige's visit.

"I forgot how much I like her," Mrs. Fields happily and obliviously continued, "so polite and thoughtful and very pretty."

While Emily struggled to pull her lips into a smile, Spencer, Aria and Ali glanced at one another with wide eyes. Hanna leaned back to simply enjoy the awkward fog forming over the table.

"Yes, she is," Emily flippantly replied. "So, Mom, did you ever talk to Mr—"

"Guess what?" she leaned across the table with a wide grin across her face and squeezed Emily's closest hand resting on the table.

"What?"

"She brought you flowers!" The older woman chirped. Spencer almost choked on a small bite of bread as Mrs. Fields elaborated with glee, "They are so beautiful. I put them in some water and put them in the kitchen." Emily fought the urge to glance to her mother's right to see Ali's reaction. Honestly, she was half afraid that the girl was wearing a look of complete indifference. She couldn't handle that. Apparently, her mother read the perplexed look on her daughter's face and queried, "What's wrong? Why the look?" She quickly looked around the table to find strange looks on all of the girl's faces. "What is going on?"

"Nothing," Emily shook her head and offered her usual small smile. "I'm just a bit surprised." She figured she might as well tell her mom the truth- a snippet of the truth. She would find out eventually.

Before she could open her mouth, Hanna offered, "They aren't together anymore. So it's kinda weird."

Five heads whirled around and locked onto the blonde's face. "Han!" Aria snapped under her breath. Her word was accompanied by a small swat on Hanna's knee under the table.

Not looking at Emily two seats to her left who wagged her head fiercely hoping her friend wouldn't elaborate, Hanna swung her eyes to Aria and said, "What? It _is_ weird."

"It's not weird," Emily stressed. Although she hoped Hanna's bad attitude concerning her and Ali had dwindled away over the past few days, the blonde's satisfied grin convinced her that no such thing had happened. She reassured her mom, while straining to keep her eyes off of Alison, "We're still friends."

"You two were so good together," Mrs. Fields twirled her noodles, but avoided eating as she continued, "You four—now five—girls always seem to be wrapped up in some form of drama. She didn't even seem to mind."

Emily gulped and her restraint faltered as her gaze fell on Alison. As the blonde uncomfortably tucked a wad of curls behind her right ear, she maintained some semblance of control over her facial muscles as she contorted them into a look of interest devoid of any negative feeling. However, when their eyes locked for but a moment, Emily glimpsed the discomfort behind her eyes. "You're right," the brunette admitted once again returning her attention to her mother, "she's always been understanding." No truer words could be spoken. Paige swallowed Emily's blatant lies and passive deceit for months. However, her betrayal still lingered in the air between them every time they crossed paths.

"Why?"

"What?" Emily jostled herself from her thoughts at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Why did you—"

"We had a falling out," she once again allowed herself a glance at Alison, whose curiosity now seemed genuinely piqued. The blonde and Emily's mom shared the same ignorance when it came to the breakup. Suddenly wondering what her friends were thinking, she visual swept the table to gauge their level of discomfort and hoped one of them might lend her a helping hand. Unfortunately, their body language reflected their resolve to stay out of the conversation altogether- except for Hanna. She was bursting at the seams to contribute in any way that might feed the fire.

"Oh, Emily," her insistent mother waved off her daughter's comment and said, "It's clear that she wants to work it out." Clearly thinking of the flowers, she added, "She's doing a good job if you ask me."

"I completely agree."

"Hanna!" Spencer scolded from across the table. Now the nerdy brunette was starting to wonder why her friend seemed hellbent to prod the bull wreaking conversational havoc at the dinner table. No one liked to discuss their romantic life in front of their parents, especially when their friends were around. Emily was a perfect example of such a person- far from an exception to the rule. Despite Alison shifting uncomfortably in her chair, Spencer remained ignorant of the true source of awkwardness for a few more moments.

Finally fed up with the topic and pointed jabs from Hanna, Emily groaned into her food, "Can we please not talk about this anymore?"

As her daughter hung her head, Mrs. Fields ignored the plea, cocked her head to one side and asked, "Is there someone else?" When the girl's head jerked up, she continued, "A boy or—"

"Mom. I'm gay," Emily stated flatly.

"I'm not finished," the woman reassured, "Or girl?"

The brief look of fear exchanged by Emily and Alison followed by Emily's quick and brash "no!" didn't escape the notice of Spencer, Aria or Hanna. Aria tucked a balled hand under her chin and feigned ignorance. Hanna rolled her eyes in disgust. Spencer groaned to herself, "Oh, dear god. Not this."

A sharp elbow jab from Alison on Spencer's right startled the groaning girl. Emily's mother craned her neck around Alison to look at the brunette and she queried, "Spencer? What was that?"

Shrinking down in her chair, Spencer whispered, "Did I say that out loud?" Her four friends nodded vigorously in response. She then raised her voice to answer her hostess's question, "Oh. It's nothing. I was just thinking about school... stuff. You know me." She plastered a jovial look on her face hoping her deflection wasn't as weak as she thought it was.

"Well," the older woman shrugged off any curiosity and concluded before raising the noodles to her mouth, "You two should work it out. I really like her."

"We all do," piped up the relentless voice of the only person enjoying the conversation. Four cold stares singed through Hanna, who didn't look up from her food.

Thinking her absence from the conversation might only draw more attention to the tension between Emily and herself, Alison finally contributed with a simple observation, "I'm sure Paige is great." Emily flashed a raised eyebrow in her direction. "She seems great."

"Oh, you didn't know her?" the older woman asked sounding a bit surprised.

"Not very well."

Hanna snorted at the response. Before she could pile yet another stupid remark on her growing pile of bullshit, Emily said, "We'll work it out. She is great." A cloud of guilt settled over her head as Alison intentionally avoided her gaze and refused to release control of her composure.

"Good," Mrs. Fields smiled and returned to her meal. Her daughter's words appeased her. She was also aware of the odd vibes bouncing around the table. Taking pity on the girls, she turned to Ali and asked her about school and being back home. Although she brushed it off, she still felt the discomfort looming.

After the conversation rolled into a lively discussion devoid of anything substantial, the group relaxed and relished the rest of their very tasty meal. While Alison and Emily tussled inwardly with their own version of a private conversation that would surely follow closely on the heels of this dinner, Spencer set aside her disgruntled feelings toward Hanna. She didn't intend to keep them pent up for very long.

* * *

**Look out for part two!**


	2. Post Awkwardness

**Part two! **

**I'm stunned by the number of views. I'm extremely flattered. Thanks for all the follows, favorites and comments. I greatly appreciate it. It's always encouraging to receive feedback of any kind.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

While Spencer, Aria and Hanna disappeared outside immediately after thanking the chef for dinner, Alison and Emily politely offered to help with the dishes. Mrs. Fields declined their assistance sweetly and suggested they go join their friends. Instead of following their friends onto Emily's front porch, Emily led Ali up to her room. She could sense that Alison wanted to talk. As they stepped into the brunette's bedroom, the blonde closed the door quickly behind them and demanded, "Tell me what's going on with you and Hanna."

"Ali, don't do that," Emily retorted gently. Her arms knotted across her chest. While Emily admired her friend's confidence, she detested being bullied into revealing information. She wasn't the shy, quiet Emily that Ali had left behind.

Noticing the brunette's defensive stance, Alison sighed and pried the girl's arms from across her chest. As Emily's arms relaxed within her grasp, she apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I just want to know what's going on. We can't keep secrets. They—"

"Keep us close?" Emily mocked with a light tone.

"No," Alison admitted. "They don't. They never did."

Emily sank down on the edge of her bed and said, "We are all very aware of that fact." Despite her intent to let her affections for Alison run rampant tonight, the reminder of Alison's deceit and manipulation squealed her blind enjoyment to a halt. Her fingers drew chunks of her sheets into her palms. Thinking of the person Alison used to be brought nothing but pain coupled with disappointment. How could she have allowed herself to be so easily mislead? How could she have loved someone who treated her so poorly?

"Em, don't," Alison squatted down in front of her friend and calmly pulled her fingers from their iron fisted form. "I know what you're thinking about." Even after Ali freed the sheets from her friend's clutches, the frown and crinkled lines remained etched into the brunette's mouth and forehead. Since she had returned, she sometimes revived her old Alison attitude while with the entire group of liars. However, her old self consistently withered at Emily's feet when they were alone. She didn't recognize herself. Studying Emily's features plagued with ambivalence frightened the blonde. She had so much to atone for and she feared the past might be too much for Emily to ever overcome.

Although her instincts urged her to kiss away Emily's doubts, her friend had made it abundantly clear that mere physical affection couldn't earn her forgiveness. Tentatively, she settled an unsteady hand on the girl's right thigh. When Emily didn't flinch or swat away her hand, Ali swallowed and hesitantly whispered, "I don't know how to make this right." She continued with her familiar nervous tone that sometimes threw her pitch up and down, "I don't know if _you_ want me to make this right. I mean—if you want me to make it right so there can be an _us_."

Shaken from her world of worry, Emily immediately covered the blonde's shaking hand with her own. The girl's vulnerable orbs of blue begged for some sort of answer offering reassurance. She slowly rose to her feet and guided Alison upward by one hand. When they stood face to face, she admitted the uncomfortable truth, "I don't know either." Alison didn't like that answer, but instead of the flabbergasted face of disgust she used to wear when she didn't get her way, a vulnerable frown drooped across her lips.

Through trembling lips, Ali pleaded softly, "Don't give up on me. I'm trying."

While Emily thought Alison's new softer personality reflected a movement away from her cold and calculating nature, she didn't want the old Alison to disappear into and overly apologetic mess. Comforting her with all the love she tried to temper, she nudged the blonde's chin upward with one finger and leaned in for a kiss.

Obviously pleased with Emily's solution, Alison's right hand flew to the side of Emily's face and her fingers slid under the brown locks. Their pursed lips met with a harsh, but passionate bump. Alison's lips quickly parted and she snagged the brunette's bottom lip. Although not one to instantly invite her tongue into a kiss, her mouth opened slightly wider and her tongue darted out and brushed against Emily's bottom lip.

Emily shared the blonde's urgency and she tilted her head to the side to allow for a more heated kiss. When their tongues briefly touched, she felt a sharp inhale against her skin and couldn't help but notice the now tight grip behind her head. Alison pulled her close while simultaneously pushing her head back with the force of her kiss. The short, but forceful nips of her lips and dives of her tongue dripped with passion, but the brunette also sensed a hint of fear behind Alison's physical, intimate need. For some reason, Emily found the blonde's uncertainty a bit entertaining. The old Ali never doubted her ability to completely enthrall a person she chose to grace with her affections.

A chuckle slipped from the brunette's throat. "Ali," she whispered.

Determined not to be dismissed, Alison simply ordered, "Shut up." Her left hand clamped around Emily's waist as she vigorously kissed her oddly amused friend.

Between kisses, Emily managed, "Ali, I'm. Not. Going. Anywhere." The unfamiliar insistent kisses only encouraged her giggles. _What a switch._ Emily finally knew how it felt to be desperately needed by Alison. The former "It Girl" of Rosewood High _needed_ another human being.

The blonde groaned with annoyance and finally leaned back to say, "What is so funny?"

Deflating the irritation in Alison's eyes, Emily pecked the girl on the nose and explained, "I'm just not used to this. Who knew you wanted so badly to get inside me?"

Alison's eyes swelled to twice their normal size and her jaw dropped.

"I mean with your tongue," Emily corrected quickly.

Now the blonde's pupils dilated.

"I mean your tongue inside my mouth!" the flustered girl stressed. _Holy shit!_ _That did not just happen._ She and Alison had never mentioned or even flirted in an overtly sexual manner. Their romantic interactions had been chaste and focused on emotions rather than desires.

Recovering quickly, Alison smirked and commented, "Talk about a Freudian slip."

Put at ease, but still embarrassed, the brunette returned, "I really meant shove your tongue down my throat."

"That is so not what you said," the other girl teased before planting one last kiss on Emily's lips.

"Interestingly," Emily cleared her throat, "Hanna and I might be squabbling because of this." She flapped a finger back and forth between the two of them.

"Because of us? Really?"

"Yeah," Emily proceeded cautiously while playing with Alison's fingers, "This could really change the dynamic. Not to mention her… hesitance considering our history."

"You mean her completely lack of faith in me and assuming I'll be a complete bitch to you again?" Alison queried flatly. "It's understandable."

Not wanting to openly admit her own insecurities, Emily shrugged, "It's just going to be different for all of us. We'll get through it."

With a huge grin and sigh of contentment, Alison said, "I missed you so much." She treasured the girl's hopeful outlook.

"Speaking of the girls," Emily strolled to her bedroom door, "I should probably assume my duties as hostess while Mom is cleaning up after all of us."

"I wonder what Hanna is thinking about us," Alison joked as she waltzed through the door Emily opened for her.

"Oh, I'm sure she's downstairs begging her brain to stop with the visuals."

Grabbing Emily's hand, the other girl yanked her close and said, "Should we try to live up to those visuals?"

The brunette pulled her closer until the space between their bodies disappeared. She teased an inch from Alison's lips, "No. We'll do better."

"What's happened to the innocent Emily Fields?" Alison leaned back and stared at Emily's smirking lips.

Nudging the blonde's warm body away from her own, the brunette replied, "She's been corrupted."

"Is it bad that I'm really glad about that?"

"I'm thinking no," Emily invaded her friend's personal space and continued their playful banter. While they teased and flirted, their three friends were engaged in a less that amicable conversation on Emily's front porch.

* * *

"What the hell was that crap you pulled at dinner, Hanna?" Spencer finally brought up the borderline aggressive conversation at the dinner table.

"What?" the blonde replied nonchalantly. She'd rather keep her frustration with Emily and Alison to herself. However, she did admit that her behavior didn't reflect her intentions.

"Since when do you defend Paige?" Aria said. Although she had noticed the interaction between Emily and Alison, she couldn't fathom why it would result in Hanna jumping on the Paige bandwagon.

Hanna folded her arms and shrugged, "She's nice. She really is good for Emily. Plus," Hanna continued randomly, "I like her clothes. She wears plaid and denim and vests and sometimes denim vests and—"

"She wears normal person clothes, Hanna," Spencer replied.

"Well," the blonde insisted, "I like them and her… as a person."

Not convinced, Spencer scoffed, "I had no idea you liked her so much. It's almost unbelievable."

"What can I say? I'm a Paily fan."

"Really, Hanna?" Spencer rolled her eyes. "Did you just say that?"

Throwing up her arms, Aria ignored Hanna's very weird choice of words and brought up the real problem with Paige, "Have you already forgotten why Emily broke up with her?"

"You remember that horrible thing she did?" Spencer pushed.

"She named names! She's helping now!"

Aria countered, "So she gets a free pass for basically turning Ali in to the police?"

"It's all of a sudden not an issue that she could have gotten Ali killed?" Spencer shouted.

"Guys!" Emily snapped from the doorway.

Alison stood next to her with a stunned look on her face. She hadn't heard the entire conversation, but the last few sentences were enough to shake her. "Paige. She. She did what?" she stuttered.

"Nothing!" Emily returned. "It's not important." She joined the three squabbling girls a few yards away and shook her head vehemently, hoping they would keep their mouths shut.

"That sounds really important," Alison raced to her side. "It sounds like Paige almost got me killed."

"She did a stupid thing," Hanna insisted, now blindly defending a girl she previously despised. "But now she's willing to rat on Lucas and Melissa and then she gets a rat in her locker."

"Again," Spencer continued, "Why should that magically earn Emily's forgiveness after what she did?"

"If Emily can forgive Ali, she can definitely give Paige a break," Hanna spat. Although tainted by her own issues with Alison's return, the blonde really did worry about Emily. She couldn't stand by and watch Alison hurt Emily all over again.

Momentarily derailed from Paige's betrayal, Aria threw out a question to the entire group, "Okay. What is this really about?" When Hanna shot an annoyed look toward Ali and Emily, who both seemed suddenly enthralled with the floor, she prodded, "Seriously, what's going on?" She figured she knew the answer, but Hanna's outright attack puzzled her. She wasn't going to let this go. "Han. What's going on?"

Spencer was the one to speak, "Guys. We all know that secrets do more harm than good." Alison glanced up and nodded her head in agreement. The brunette prompted Hanna, "Just tell us what the problem is."

"I'm just trying to throw some ice down their pants," she flung a finger toward Emily and Alison. When she noticed their dresses, she corrected herself, "Or their dresses or whatever. This is not a good idea and someone needs to say it." When no one spoke up, not even the two accused girls, she groaned, "This is bullshit. I'm so not the bad guy here."

Somewhat amused by Hanna's stubbornness, Spencer chuckled, "Well, you're definitely not presenting yourself as the good guy." The fact that this all boiled down to Hanna's concern for a friend lessened the brunettes's desire to be confrontational. She was worried about Emily too.

"I understand," Alison piped up. "You guys saved me, but that doesn't mean you trust me." Her words were met with complete silence. It didn't surprise her that Emily remained quiet as well. "Just give me a chance," the blonde finally pleaded.

"Hey, Emily," a voice came from Emily's front lawn. Everyone recognized the voice instantly and both Spencer and Hanna stifled laughs with their palms. This night couldn't possibly get any better.

"Paige!" Emily swung around with surprise to see her ex walking up the steps.

"Can we talk?"

Not glancing at anyone for permission to cut the conversation short, she confidently replied, "Yeah, sure."

* * *

**So I lied unintentionally. There are going to be three parts. I can't pass up a little more drama. I'm sure y'all are okay with that.**


End file.
